Duxianqin
A duxianqin performer, Gui Duo Chang, at Covent Garden, London
| Duxianqin | |
|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | yīxiánqín |
The duxianqin is a
Chinese plucked string instrument with only one string; it is derived from the Vietnamese đàn bầu. Chinese sources describe duxianqin as being an instrument of the Jing (also spelled Gin or Kinh) ethnic group, who are ethnic Vietnamese living in China.[1] It is still commonly played by this ethnic group. Sometimes the body of the instrument is made from a large tube of bamboo
rather than wood, which is more common in Vietnam.
Cultural context
The duxianqin has been recognized by the Chinese government to be "a vehicle of '
Chinese festivals
.
Playing the duxianqin
The duxianqin is played using harmonics, with the string's tension varied by the use of a flexible rod. The string is plucked with the right hand, and the pitch is simultaneously controlled with the left hand by moving the rod to adjust the tension on the string.[2] Depending on the direction that the rod is turned, either toward or away from the player, it will bend the pitch of the string to higher or lower notes.[3]
See also
- Đàn bầu
- Diddley bow
- Traditional Chinese musical instruments
References
- ^ "Duxianqin". Cultural China. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Across China: Ethnic instrument playing preserved in S China". NewsBank. Xinhua News Agency Economic News (China). 30 July 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
- ^ "Monochord Relatives to the One-String Diddley Bow". suite.io. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
External links
- Photograph of a duxianqin
- Duxianqin article Archived 2005-11-19 at the Wayback Machine (Chinese)
- Duxianqin page (Chinese)
Video
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